As a music writer who is not musically inclined, it's always fascinating to me to catch up with bands and musicians when they're not on the stage. For this week's issue of New Times, I hung out with Former Friends of Young Americans for a profile of the local shoegazers.
Toby Fatzinger and company invited me to their downtown practice pad for a candid conversation about what's been going on in their daily lives over the past year and their opinion of the Valley's present music scene.
The space where they meet is actually Fatzinger's home. It's not a designated room covered in sound-deflecting baffles; just his living room. To dampen the noise, the group places twin-size mattresses over the windows and rock out for an hour and half or so.
Check out our audio slideshow for a quick glimpse behind the scenes after the jump.
Former Friends of Young Americans are scheduled to perform Saturday, April 14, at FilmBar.